Subarachnoid hemorrhage, the third most common type of stroke, accounting for 5–10% of all cases, could be drastically reduced worldwide through health and lifestyle changes, according to NZ, Australian and international researchers.

The team investigated the global burden of subarachnoid hemorrhage from 1990 to 2021, and found while the burden has more than halved relative to the world’s population, the absolute number of subarachnoid hemorrhages are increasing.

The findings are published in the journal JAMA Neurology.

The researchers say 70% of the burden of this type of stroke can be attributed to risk factors we can change such as smoking and high blood pressure, so good public health planning and resource allocation could further reduce the risk around the world.

Although the global age-standardized burden rates of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) have more than halved over the last three decades, SAH remained one of the most common cardiovascular and neurological causes of death and disabilities in the world, with increasing absolute case numbers.

These findings suggest evidence of the potential health benefits of proactive public health planning and resource allocation toward the prevention of SAH. Nontraumatic SAH represents the third most common stroke type after ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage, accounting for 5% to 10% of all strokes.